Cárdenas Works to Get Critical Relief to Valley Families, Votes to Pass American Rescue Plan

Statement

Today, Congressman Tony Cárdenas (CA-29) voted to pass the American Rescue Plan to help crush the COVID-19 virus and get the economy moving again with shots in arms, money in pockets, children in schools and people in jobs. The $1.9 trillion COVID relief package includes three Cárdenas-led provisions -- funding for vaccine awareness campaigns, mental health support, and expanded coverage for COVID-19 treatment and vaccinations for uninsured Americans. The Senate passed the American Rescue Plan last week.

"The COVID pandemic has crippled our economy, devastated our communities, and killed more Americans than the total number of Americans killed in WWI, WWII, and Vietnam combined. This extraordinary moment in history demands an equally extraordinary response. The American Rescue Plan is about getting shots in arms, money in pockets, children in schools, and people in jobs," said Congressman Cárdenas. "The legislation is the kind of bold response we need to help lift our nation out of this crisis. I am proud to stand with my colleagues and President Biden to support our frontline heroes and provide Americans in the San Fernando Valley and across the country the relief they urgently need. We are now one step closer to beating this virus and ending this pandemic."

The American Rescue Plans will:

Get Money to the People Who Have Suffered the Most: The plan finishes the job on the President's promise to provide $2,000 in direct assistance to households across America with checks of $1,400 per person, following the $600 down payment enacted in December. The plan will also provide direct housing assistance, nutrition assistance for 40 million Americans, expand access to safe and reliable childcare and affordable health care, extend and expand Unemployment Insurance so that 18 million American workers can pay their bills and supporting 27 million children with an expanded Child Tax Credit and more than 17 million low-wage workers through an improved Earned Income Tax Credit.
Put Vaccines in Arms: The plan will mount a national vaccination program that includes setting up community vaccination sites nationwide. It will also take complementary measures to combat the virus, including scaling up testing and tracing, addressing shortages of personal protective equipment and other critical supplies, investing in high-quality treatments and addressing health care disparities.
Put Children Safely Back in School: The plan will make a nearly $130 billion investment in school re-opening and making up for lost time in the classroom. These funds can be used for such things as reducing class sizes, modifying spaces so that students and teachers can socially distance, improving ventilation, implementing more mitigation measures, providing personal protective equipment, and providing summer school or other support for students that help make up lost learning time this year. The plan also provides resources for higher education, Head Start and childcare facilities.
Put People Back In Jobs: The plan will provide crucial support for the hardest-hit small businesses, especially those owned by entrepreneurs from racial and ethnic backgrounds that have experienced systemic discrimination, with EIDL grants, expanded PPP eligibility and more. The plan also provides crucial resources to protect the jobs of first responders, frontline public health workers, teachers, transit workers and other essential workers that all Americans depend on.
Congressman Cárdenas sits on the House Energy and Commerce Committee's Health Subcommittee.

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